With the United States reliance on foreign sources of oil for use in refining gasoline, it has become apparent that alternative modes of transportation are necessary for powering the American economy. There are several proposed methods of powering the American transportation system and reducing adverse environmental conditions such as green house gases. One such method is employing electric vehicles in transporting workers to their places of employment and moving goods to market. The main advantage of electrically powered automobiles over current gasoline and diesel powered vehicles is the ability to use energy that does not produce environmental pollution. In recent years with the increase of gasoline and diesel costs, electrically powered autos have experienced a resurgence of interest from the public and automobile manufacturers. There are many examples of different configurations of electric automobiles. By way of example, some of these different configurations as set forth hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,665 to Donald A. Armfield discloses an electric car powered by an electric motor linked by a first clutch to a first shaft of a gear box. A generator is linked by a second clutch to a second shaft of the gear box. The gear box is linked by a third shaft to the drive shaft of a vehicle wheel. The generator serves to charge the batteries that drive the motor, as a regenerative braking system. The first and second shafts of the gear box are linked in the gear box by different gear ratios to each other and the third shaft that is joined to the vehicle drive shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,624 to Edward L. Schiavone discloses an electrical vehicle and method employing one or more motion electrical generators for converting up and down horizontal or component motion of the vehicle or its wheel structure relative to the vehicle. A self-contained electric generator may operate at any location in the vehicle, preferably at the location of greatest vibration created by reciprocating motion when the vehicle is operated over roadways.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,450 to Hiram Fobbs discloses an electrical drive for an automobile. An electrical apparatus for driving an automobile comprises a DC motor operationally connected to the rear axle through a drive shaft with the motor energized from storage batteries and recharged from alternators coupled to the drive shaft adjacent a clutch at the rear end of the automobile through an auxiliary drive shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,622 to James M. Travis discloses a drive axle for an electric vehicle. The axle comprises a ring gear. A first pinion gear rotates the ring gear. A differential carries the ring gear. A pair of axle shafts is driven by the differential for rotatably driving a pair of drive wheels. The device is supported and enclosed by a housing. A second pinion gear is employed which rotatably engages the ring gear. A first electric motor rotatably connected to the first pinion gear is connected to a power source for rotatably driving the vehicle. A second electric motor/generator is connected to the second pinion gear and electrically connected to the power source. The second electric motor/generator selectively powers the differential or derives power from the differential to recharge the power source as dictated by the power needs of the electric vehicle. By selectively and electrically causing the plurality of motors/generators to either power the axle or be powered by the axle optimum efficiency and recharging of the battery over a range of vehicle operating conditions is obtained.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,082 to Joseph A. Ramos discloses an electric propulsion system for wheeled vehicles. The electric propulsion system has a generator and motor connected to a drive shaft and an electrical system for charging a battery during all conditions of power transfer from the wheels of the vehicle to the generator to minimize energy required for propulsion. A variable speed power coupling unit connecting the motor to the drive shaft has sprockets revolving about a belt connected sun sprocket with speed control effected by varying the rate of satellite sprocket rotation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,028 to Cosby G. Price discloses a drive system for electric vehicles. The drive system includes an electric motor having a rotatable case and a counter-rotating armature, one being operatively connected to the ground-engaging drive wheels of the vehicle, and one being operatively connected to an electric generator, and rechargeable electric storage batteries connected to the motor to drive it. The generator output is connected to recharge the batteries. A speed control consists of a drive train whereby the wheel-drive element of the motor may drive the generator-drive element of the motor, thereby stabilizing the speed of the former, whenever the former reaches or exceeds a speed representing a given vehicle speed. A continuously adjustable transmission in this drive train, manually controlled, permits ready adjustment of the vehicle speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,764 to Earsel W. Pollard discloses an energy generating and storage system for electric vehicles. The energy generating and storage system is adapted to generate and recharge the principal electric storage battery to recover substantial energy losses occurring during normal operation of the vehicle. It comprises multiple electric current generating means adapted for charging the principal battery means, coupling means dis-engagably connecting the generating means to a power train of the vehicle, and multiple switch means for operating the coupling means between an engaged, power generating condition and a disengaged inoperative condition of the multiple generating means in response to preselected operating conditions of the electric vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,924 to Toshio Yamagiwa discloses an electric motor driven vehicle and power unit. The invention relates to an electric motor driven vehicle having a driving unit assembled with a motor and transmission mechanism. In order to avoid a load in a low rotational state of the motor, the transmission mechanism is connected with the motor and driving wheel within a range of predetermined rotational numbers in which the motor approaches the vicinity of maximum efficiency. Accordingly, motor driving is possible from the start, and because of the small electric power and the low heat generating quantity, cruising distance is extended and the apparatus is consequently made to be compact and of light weight. The transmission is provided with an automatic starting clutch and an automatic transmission is used as the automatic transmission, operation of the motor near the vicinity of maximum efficiency can always be maintained in the usual speed change range. The driving unit can be constructed compactly as a power unit of swing type.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,584 to Masato Fukino discloses an electric vehicle driven by an electric motor. A battery accumulator supplies electricity to the electric motor and a plurality of auxiliaries. A generating unit generates electricity in order to charge the battery accumulator. A detector unit detects at least one of various running conditions of the vehicle. A control unit supplies the electricity from the generating unit directly to the electric motor when the detected running condition indicates an overload condition, and gradually reduces the electricity supplied to the auxiliaries.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,600 to Robert J. Dorgan discloses an electric drive system for track-laying vehicles includes a pair of electric motors and an infinitely variable speed, hydro-mechanical steering transmission including a pair of hydrostatic propulsion units and a plurality of planetary gears sets. The hydrostatic units are driven by one or both of the electric motors to produce separate hydrostatic propulsion outputs which are combined with the mechanical outputs of the motors by the planetary gear sets to generate separate hydro-mechanical propulsion outputs on right and left transmission output shafts for vehicle propulsion and steer in two speed ranges.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,890 to Minoru Toyoda discloses a drive unit for an electric motor vehicle. The drive unit includes first and second electric motors having characteristics which achieve high efficiencies in different operational regions. A common motor shaft receives output torques from both of the first and second motors, which output torque are then transmitted to a drive wheel. Sensors are provided for sensing a travelling condition of the vehicle and the rotational speeds of the first and second motors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,908 to Louis Reed discloses an electric powered vehicle comprising at least one electric motor connected to a drive axle. At least one generator means connects to another axle whereby the rotation of the axle powers the generator means to produce electricity. Batteries provide stored electrical energy to the motor. Transmission gearing means increase the rotational speed of the generator means beyond that of the axle. Management control means selectively direct electrical power from the generator means to either the motor for power or the batteries for recharge, depending upon the driving conditions and requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,476 to Nathan Stulbach discloses a self-renewing electrically driven automobile that has electro-generating units 1 and 2. Unit one has an electrically charged starter battery, a first electric motor and a dynamo-electric generator connected to a first road-wheel axle. Unit two has a second electric motor, two initially uncharged batteries and two similar generators. Unit one starts the automobile and maintains it for a short time until unit two can operate the vehicle. As a result of a rotary motion transferring device, while the vehicle is in motion, the generator of unit one receives mechanical energy generated by the first road-wheel axle and converts that mechanical energy into electrical energy which automatically flows into the starter battery to recharge it. From the inception of the vehicle's movement and onward, each generator of unit two receive mechanical energy from the second road-wheel axle that they are connected to and convert this energy into electrical energy which they send to the two storage batteries of unit two. Switching means detects when these two storage batteries of unit two reach a predetermined level of electric power and then (i) engages the electric motor of unit two to the second road wheel axle to operate the vehicle for the remainder of the trip and (ii) disengages the first electric motor of unit one from the first road wheel axle. The starter battery is thus perfectly recharged for the next trip of the vehicle and the vehicle can travel long distances at enhanced accelerations without recharging the batteries.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,734,645 to Seymour Auerbach discloses an electric powered vehicle. A dynamo-electric generating device(s) is attached to one or more free-running wheels of the vehicle, which are not connected to the power drive of the vehicle. The free-running wheels are rotated by contact with the road surface as the vehicle is powered forward. The free-running wheels rotate one or more electric generating devices to produce electrical energy which is stored alternately in one or more electrical storage systems. The other non-charging electrical storage system(s) concurrently provides power to the electric motor which drives the vehicle through one or more of the wheels connected to the power train.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,647 to Bruce Gotta discloses dual motor axle-driven generator system for electric vehicles. A first battery pack provides power to a first electric motor and a second battery pack provides power to a second electric motor. A generator is connected to a differential gear train and the first and second battery packs. Rotation of the wheels transfer rotational kinetic energy to the differential gear train for conversion into electrical energy by the generator for recharging the first and second battery packs while the vehicle is in motion. The generator recharges the second battery pack when the vehicle is powered by the first electric motor and vice versa.
The present invention aims to improve on the state of electric vehicles and teach a regenerative circuit that is utilized in providing an alternative source electrical energy. Voltage from this alternative source is routed back into the electric vehicle for powering it.